The Impact of Integrated Electronics on Aerospace Avionic Subsystems

Integrated electronics or microelectronics is one of today's major technical frontiers. Possibilities offered to the designer of avionics subsystems, for aerospace vehicles, by these techniques, are almost limitless, from the point of view of performance capabilities as well as reliability and maintainability. Application will change current engineering practices in avionics design. Some changes will be easy; in others, problems will appear. This paper discusses these changes, indicating potential gains to be expected as well as potential problem areas. The rise in the application of integrated electronics is expected to be high for the next 10 to 15 years. By 1980, integrated circuitry will have largely replaced the use of discrete components, and the rate-of-increase-of-application curves will level off.